Teacher Supply and Demand Survey. - Executive Summary -

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1 Teacher Supply and Demand Survey - Executive Summary - As part of a number of initiatives to enable the Ministry of Education to better predict teacher trends in Ontario and to ensure that school boards have access to teachers with the qualifications and background that they need, the Ministry conducted an online teacher supply and demand survey in the winter of 2007/08. The Teaching Policy and Standards Branch, Instruction and Leadership Development Division, distributed a nine-question survey, and requested completion by Human Resources Superintendents at the 72 publicly funded school boards, 31 school authorities, and provincial schools in Ontario. 66 school boards and 11 school authorities responded. All school boards and authorities were asked to report on: The number of individuals employed in under Letters of Permission (LOPs) by grade and subject; The number of teachers granted Temporary Letters of Approval (TLAs) in by grade and subject; and Their perception of the shortage and surplus of teachers by grade and subject, based on applications for teaching positions in and Letters of Permission Letters of Permission (LOPs) may be granted to a school board, authorizing the board to employ individuals who are not teachers to teach in an elementary or secondary school for a period not exceeding one year. The number of LOPs granted indicates shortages in specific teaching areas. Survey results indicate that, in , a total of LOPs were issued to the school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: 379 for elementary subjects and 319 for secondary subjects. The percentage of individuals employed under LOPs in that school year was 0.5% of the total reported workforce. The elementary subject for which the greatest number of LOPs was issued was French as a Second Language or French Immersion. The secondary subjects for which the greatest number of LOPs was issued across the province were Technological Education courses, with the highest number issued for personal services, followed by health, hospitality and tourism, and then construction. The secondary subject for which the greatest total number of LOPs was issued was Classical and International Languages, although this was primarily reported by one school board. The responses of French-language school boards and authorities indicate a broad shortage of teachers for General Subject Grades JK-8, particularly JK-3, followed by French Language (actualisation linguistique en français/perfectionnement du français) in elementary. LOPs were granted in roughly equal numbers for several secondary subjects including English, Special Education (resource), Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) and Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc). Temporary Letters of Approval The Registrar of the Ontario College of Teachers may grant a Temporary Letter of Approval (TLA) to a board for up to one year, to allow a teacher to teach a subject or hold a position for which he or she is not qualified. The number of TLAs granted may indicate that certain subject areas are experiencing a shortage of teachers. It may also indicate that teachers are expanding their qualifications to meet a demand. Survey results indicate that, in , a total of TLAs were issued to the school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: 880 for elementary subjects and 191 for secondary subjects. The percentage of teachers granted TLAs in that school year was 0.8% of the total reported workforce. The elementary subject for which the greatest number of TLAs was issued was French as a Second Language or French Immersion. The secondary subject for which the greatest number of TLAs was issued was Special Education (resource). The French-language responses indicate that Special Education (resource) was the subject area with the greatest number of TLAs granted in elementary, and Technological Education (construction) in secondary. 1 LOP and TLA numbers were derived from the responses to the Subject LOP TLA questions in the survey, rather than to the questions pertaining to Teaching Staff on TLAs and LOPs. 2 Ibid 1

2 Teacher Supply and Demand The subject areas that were identified by school boards and authorities as having the greatest shortage of applicants were French as a Second Language or French Immersion in elementary and Technological Education (construction) in secondary. The subject areas with the greatest surplus were combined General Subject Grades JK-6 in elementary and Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, and politics) in secondary. The responses from French-language school boards and authorities indicate that there were no surplus areas in elementary and that only one school board reported a surplus of applicants in three secondary subject areas. The subject areas with the greatest shortage in elementary include General Subject Grades 4-8, Special Education (resource) and Music. A broad range of secondary subjects were reported as shortage areas including; Science, Chemistry, Technological Education (construction, manufacturing), English, Mathematics, Business and Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc). Mathematics and Science courses (chemistry, physics and biology) have anecdotally been regarded as shortage areas, although the survey results indicate that school boards and authorities did not request a high number of LOPs for these subjects in The results do, however, indicate that a significant number of school boards and authorities consider physics and chemistry to be areas of shortage and a smaller number consider biology to be an area of surplus. Mathematics is commonly considered an area of shortage or surplus depending on the region. Participant Feedback All survey participants were asked to provide general feedback regarding teacher supply and demand in Ontario. The most significant areas of concern reported by school boards and authorities include: Summary Difficulty in finding qualified occasional teachers; Shortage of Technological Education programs offered at Faculties of Education, and difficulty that individuals have in applying to Technological Education programs; The need for teacher candidates and new teachers to learn more about Special Education, either in their pre-service programs or through Additional Basic Qualification (ABQ) courses; and Difficulty in recruiting teachers in remote areas of the province. Declining student enrolment throughout most of Ontario continues to impact the demand for teachers. According to the survey results, there continues to be an oversupply of English-language teachers, particularly teachers who are qualified to teach General Subject Grades K-6 in Primary/Junior divisions. There is a significant shortage of Frenchlanguage teachers in virtually all subjects. In English language boards, French as a Second Language or French Immersion remain areas of concern as do some Technological Education courses. 2

3 Teacher Supply and Demand Survey - Summary Report - I. Purpose The goal of this survey was to generate data on the supply of, and demand for, teachers in Ontario, with a view to providing insights into the current shortages and/or surpluses of teachers for elementary and secondary publicly funded schools. The intent is to share this data with education stakeholders for information purposes. II. Methodology The Teaching Policy and Standards Branch distributed a nine-question survey for completion by Human Resources Superintendents at all publicly funded school boards and school authorities in the province in the winter of All school boards and authorities were asked to report on the number of individuals employed under Letters of Permission (LOPs) and the number of teachers granted Temporary Letters of Approval (TLAs) by grade and subject for the school year. They were also asked to report their perception of teacher shortages and surpluses by grade and subject, based on applications for teaching positions in and III. Survey Response Statistics 75% (77/103) of all publicly funded school boards and school authorities responded 92% (66/72) of publicly funded school boards responded 35% (11/31) of publicly funded school authorities responded 93% (56/60) of publicly funded English-language school boards responded 83% (10/12) of publicly funded French-language school boards responded 36% (9/25) of publicly funded English-language school authorities responded 33% (2/6) of publicly funded French-language school authorities responded Barrie region 100% (11/11) of publicly funded school boards and 67% (2/3) of publicly funded school authorities responded Toronto and Area (GTA) region 90% (10/11) of publicly funded school boards and 100% (1/1) of publicly funded school authorities responded London region 88% (14/16) of publicly funded school boards and 0% (0/3) of publicly funded school authorities responded North Bay region 93% (13/14) of publicly funded school boards and 33% (4/12) of publicly funded school authorities responded Ottawa region 92% (11/12) of publicly funded school boards and 0% (0/3) of publicly funded school authorities responded Thunder Bay region 75% (6/8) of publicly funded school boards and 44% (4/9) of publicly funded school authorities responded 3

4 IV. Letters of Permission (LOPs) Barrie region reported a 27,702 teacher headcount and 202 individuals working under LOPs 3 (110, 92 ). The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 0.7%. Toronto and Area (GTA) region reported a 45,701 teacher headcount and 297 individuals working under LOPs (205, 92 ). The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 0.6%. London region reported a 29,397 teacher headcount and 31 individuals working under LOPs (8, 23 ). The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 0.1%. North Bay region reported a 6,506 teacher headcount and 64 individuals working LOPs (33, 31 ).The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 1%. Ottawa region reported a 15,432 teacher headcount and individuals working under LOPs (21, 76 ). The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 0.6%. Thunder Bay region reported a 2,227 teacher headcount and 7 individuals working under LOPs (2, 5 ). The percentage of total reported workforce employed under LOPs in was 0.3%. The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which individuals were employed under LOPs in in the 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Number of individuals employed under LOPs boards/authorities that reported LOPs in this French as a Second Language or French Immersion General Subject Grades JK General Subject Grades General Subject Physical Education 12 3 Classical and International Languages Technological Education (personal services) Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) Technological Education (construction) Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) LOP and TLA numbers were derived from the responses to the Subject LOP TLA questions in the survey, rather than to the questions pertaining to Teaching Staff on TLAs and LOPs. 4 Survey respondents selected the number of LOPs and TLAs per grade and subject area from a drop-down menu in the survey, which included 100+ as an option. No respondent stated that 100+ individuals were employed under LOPs in a particular subject area, but one board in the Ottawa region stated that, in , 50+ individuals were employed under LOPs to teach Classical/International Languages. For the purpose of data analysis, the 50+ was treated as 50. 4

5 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas per region for which individuals were employed under LOPs in in the 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Region Barrie GTA London North Bay/Sudbury Ottawa Thunder Bay Number of individuals employed under LOPs 101 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 3 General Subject Grades JK-3 2 General Subject Grades Technological Education (personal services) 12 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 9 Classical/International Languages 6 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 5 Technological Education (manufacturing) 5 French as a Second Language 72 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 65 General Subject JK-3 19 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades Physical Education 21 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 11 Technological Education (construction) 9 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 8 Social Studies and Humanities 6 Technological Education (transportation, personal services) 8 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 12 Classical/International Languages 4 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 4 Technological Education (Personal Services) 2 Technological Education (manufacturing) 1 Computer Science 9 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 8 General Subject Grades Music 5 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades JK-3 4 Canadian and World Studies (Economics, Geography, History, Law, Politics) 4 Technological Education (construction) 4 Technological Education (transportation) 4 English 9 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 8 General Subjects Grades General Subjects Classical/International Languages 8 Technological Education (construction) 3 French as a Second Language 2 Technological Education (manufacturing) 2 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 3 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 1 Technological Education (construction) 1 Native Studies 5

6 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which individuals were employed under LOPs in in the 56 English-language school boards that responded to the survey: Number of individuals employed under LOPs boards that reported LOPs in this French as a Second Language or French Immersion General Subject Grades Music 7 2 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades JK Classical and International Languages Technological Education (personal services) Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) Technological Education (construction) French as a Second Language 11 7 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 11 4 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which individuals were employed under LOPs in in the 10 French-language school boards that responded to the survey: Number of individuals employed under LOPs boards that reported LOPs in this General Subject Grades JK General Subject Grades General Subject Grades Physical Education 11 2 French Language (actualisation linguistique en 10 3 français/perfectionnement du français) Special Education (resource) 3 2 Music 2 2 English 6 5 Special Education (resource) 6 3 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 5 5 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 5 2 Classical and International Languages 3 3 Mathematics 3 3 Physical Education 3 3 Science (biology) 3 3 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which individuals were employed under LOPs in in the 11 school authorities 5 that responded to the survey: Number of individuals employed under LOPs authorities that reported LOPs in this Special education (resource) 2 1 French as a Second Language or French 1 1 Immersion General Subject Grades Physical Education 1 1 Teacher in Charge of Library (Librarian) 1 1 English 1 1 Mathematics One of the school authority respondents only offers elementary education. 6

7 V. Temporary Letters of Approval (TLAs) Barrie region reported a 27,702 teacher headcount and 214 teachers working with TLAs (176, 38 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 0.8%. Toronto and Area (GTA) region reported a 45,701 teacher headcount and teachers working with TLAs (379, 70 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 1%. London region reported a 29,397 teacher headcount and 151 teachers working with TLAs (117, 34 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 0.5%. North Bay region reported a 6,506 teacher headcount and 19 teachers working with TLAs (15, 4 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 0.3%. Ottawa region reported a 15,432 teacher headcount and 205 teachers working with TLAs (176, 29 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 1.3%. Thunder Bay region reported a 2,227 teacher headcount and 33 teachers working with TLAs (17, 16 ). The percentage of total reported teacher workforce granted TLAs in was 1.5%. The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which teachers were granted TLAs in in 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Number of teachers granted TLAs boards/authorities that reported TLAs in this French as a Second Language or French Immersion Special Education (resource) English as a Second Language 73 9 Teacher in charge of Library (librarian) 49 8 Special Education (self-contained classroom) Special Education (resource) French as a Second Language English as a Second Language 19 8 Technological Education (construction) One school board in the GTA region stated that 100+ teachers were employed under TLAs to teach French as a Second Language. For the purpose of data analysis, the 100+ was treated as

8 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas per region for which teachers were granted TLAs in in the 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Region Number of teachers granted TLAs Barrie GTA London North Bay/Sudbury Ottawa Thunder Bay 134 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 14 English as a Second Language 13 Special education (resource) 10 Teacher in Charge of Library 5 Special Education (resource) 4 French as a Second Language Technological Education (health, hospitality and 3 tourism, construction, communication) 3 Teacher in Charge of Library 3 English as a Second Language 3 Guidance 210+ French as a Second Language or French Immersion 77 Special education (resource) 47 English as a Second Language 21 Teacher in Charge of Library 17 Special education (self contained classroom) 38 Special Education (resource) 9 English as a Second Language 5 French as a Second Language 3 Special Education (self contained) 78 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 18 Teacher in Charge of Library 11 Special Education (resource) 5 English as a Second Language 4 Technological Education (construction) Technological Education (health, hospitality and 4 tourism) 5 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 4 Special Education (Self Contained) 4 Special Education (Resource) 3 Technological Education (construction) 1 French as a Second Language 137 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 26 Special Education (Resource) 10 English as a Second Language 14 French as a Second Language 3 Special Education (self contained classroom) 14 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 2 Special Education (resource) 3 French as a Second Language 3 Technological Education (manufacturing) 3 Technological Education (design) 2 Technological Education (communication) Technological Education (health, hospitality and 2 tourism) 8

9 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which teachers were granted TLAs in in the 56 English-language school boards that responded to the survey: Number of teachers granted TLAs boards that reported TLAs in this French as a Second Language or French Immersion Special Education (resource) English as a Second Language 73 9 Teacher in Charge of Library (librarian) 49 8 Special Education (resource) French as a Second Language English as a Second Language 19 8 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 10 7 Technological Education (construction) 9 7 Teacher in Charge of Library (librarian) 9 7 Technological Education (communication) 9 6 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which teachers were granted TLAs in in the 10 French-language school boards that responded to the survey: Number of teachers granted TLAs boards that reported TLAs in this Special Education (resource) 10 3 General Subject Grades JK General Subject Grades Special Education (self-contained classroom) 1 1 Technological Education (construction) 3 1 Technological Education (communication) 1 1 Special Education (resource) 1 1 Computer Science 1 1 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas for which teachers were granted TLAs in in the 11 school authorities 7 that responded to the survey: Number of teachers granted TLAs authorities that reported TLAs in this French as a Second Language or French Immersion One of the school authority respondents only offers elementary education. 9

10 VI. Teacher Supply and Demand School boards and authorities were asked to identify areas of teacher shortage, equilibrium and surplus based on the number of applications they received for teaching positions in and The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas that were identified as areas of teacher shortage and surplus by the 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Shortage Surplus of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants boards/authorities that reported this French as a Second Language or French Immersion 55 Music 32 Special Education (resource) 30 Special Education (self-contained classroom) 25 Technological Education (construction) 48 Technological Education (transportation) 45 Technological Education (manufacturing) 44 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 44 French as a Second Language 42 Technological Education (personal services) 41 Technological Education (design) 40 Technological Education (communication) 38 Science (physics) 36 Science (chemistry) 34 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 31 Mathematics 29 of projected surplus/extreme surplus of teacher applicants boards/authorities that reported this General Subject Grades JK-3 47 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades Physical Education 20 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 30 Physical Education 25 English 24 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social sciences) 15 10

11 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas per region that were identified as areas of teacher shortage and surplus by the 77 school boards and authorities that responded to the survey: Shortage Region of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants boards/authorities that reported this Barrie GTA London North Bay/Sudbury French as a Second Language or French Immersion 11/13 Music 6/13 Special Education (resource) 4/13 Special Education (self-contained classroom) 4/13 French as a Second Language 9/13 Technological Education (personal services) 8/13 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 8/13 Technological Education (manufacturing) 8/13 Technological Education (communication) 7/13 Technological Education (construction) 7/13 Technological Education (transportation) 7/13 Technological Education (design) 6/13 Science (chemistry) 6/13 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 6/13 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 8/11 Music 8/11 Special Education (resource) 7/11 English as a Second Language 5/11 Special Education (self-contained classroom) 5/11 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 10/11 Technological Education (manufacturing) 10/11 Technological Education (construction) 10/11 Technological Education (transportation) 10/11 Technological Education (personal services) 9/11 Technological Education (design) 9/11 Technological Education (communication) 8/11 Science (chemistry) 7/11 Science (physics) 7/11 French as a Second Language 7/11 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 14/14 Special Education (resource 6/14 Music 5/14 Technological Education (construction) 12/14 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 10/14 Technological Education (design) 10/14 Technological Education (transportation) 10/14 Technological Education (personal services) 9/14 Technological Education (manufacturing) 9/14 Technological Education (communication) 9/14 Mathematics 8/14 Science (physics) 7/14 Science (chemistry) 7/14 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 10/17 Music 9/17 General Subject Grades 7-8 6/17 Technological Education (transportation) 10/17 Technological Education (construction) 10/17 Technological Education (manufacturing) 8/17 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 7/17 Technological Education (design) 7/17 Science (chemistry) 7/17 Science (physics) 7/17 Native Studies (includes Native languages) 7/17 French as a Second Language 7/17 Arts (music, visual arts, drama) 7/17 11

12 Region Ottawa Thunder Bay of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants boards/authorities that reported this French as a Second Language or French Immersion 6/11 Music 5/11 Special Education (self-contained classroom) 5/11 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 7/11 Technological Education (manufacturing) 6/11 Technological Education (transportation) 6/11 Technological Education (personal services) 6/11 Technological Education (construction) 6/11 French as a Second Language 6/11 Technological Education (communication) 5/11 Mathematics 5/11 Science (physics) 5/11 French as a Second Language or French Immersion 8/11 Special Education (resource) 5/11 Teacher in Charge of Library (Librarian) 3/11 Music 3/11 French as a Second Language 5/11 Native Studies (includes native languages) 5/11 Technological Education (construction) 4/11 Technological Education (design) 4/11 Technological Education (manufacturing) 4/11 12

13 Surplus Region Barrie GTA London North Bay/Sudbury Ottawa Thunder Bay of projected surplus/extreme surplus of teacher applicants boards/authorities that reported this General Subject Grades JK-3 12/13 General Subject Grades /13 General Subject Grades 7-8 5/13 Physical Education 4/13 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 6/13 English 5/13 Physical Education 5/13 General Subject Grades JK-3 7/11 General Subject Grades 4-6 7/11 General Subject Grades 7-8 2/11 Physical Education 2/11 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 4/11 Science (biology) 4/11 English 3/11 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social science) 3/11 Physical Education 3/11 Mathematics 3/11 General Subject Grades JK-3 13/14 General Subject Grades /14 General Subject Grades 7-8 7/114 Physical Education 7/14 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 10/14 English 8/14 Physical Education 7/14 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social science) 6/14 General Subject Grades JK-3 5/17 General Subject Grades 4-6 5/17 General Subject Grades 7-8 2/17 Physical Education 2/17 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 3/17 Physical Education 3/17 English 2/17 Science (biology) 2/17 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social science) 2/17 General Subject Grades JK-3 6/11 General Subject Grades 4-6 6/11 General Subject Grades 7-8 3/11 Physical Education 3/11 Physical Education 2/11 Science (biology) 2/11 General Subject Grades JK-3 4/11 General Subject Grades 4-6 4/11 General Subject Grades 7-8 3/11 Physical Education 2/11 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 3/11 Physical Education 3/11 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social science) 3/11 13

14 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas that were identified as areas of teacher shortage and surplus by the 56 English-language school boards that responded to the survey: Shortage of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants boards that reported this French as a Second Language or French Immersion 50 Music 24 Special Education (self-contained classroom) 20 Special Education (resource) 20 French as a Second Language 41 Technological Education (construction) 40 Technological Education (transportation) 39 Technological Education (health, hospitality and tourism) 37 Technological Education (manufacturing) 36 Technological Education (personal services) 35 Technological Education (design) 32 Technological Education (communication) 32 Science (chemistry) 27 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 24 Surplus of projected surplus/extreme surplus of teacher applicants boards that reported this General Subject Grades JK-3 45 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades Physical Education 19 Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 29 Physical Education 23 English 21 Science (biology) 15 Social Studies and Humanities (family studies, social science) 15 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas that were identified as areas of teacher shortage and surplus by the 10 French-language school boards that responded to the survey: Shortage of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants boards that reported this General Subject Grades Special Education (resource) 6 General Subject Grades Music 5 Science 7 Chemistry 7 Technological Education (construction) 7 Technological Education (manufacturing) 7 English 6 Mathematics 6 Business 6 Arts (music, visual arts, drama etc.) 6 14

15 Surplus of projected surplus/extreme surplus of teacher applicants boards that reported this Canadian and World Studies (economics, geography, history, law, politics) 1 Physical Education 1 Special Education (resource) 1 The following table identifies the most common grade or subject areas that were identified as areas of teacher shortage and surplus by the 11 school authorities that responded to the survey: Shortage Surplus of projected shortage/extreme shortage of teacher applicants authorities that reported this French as a Second Language or French Immersion 6 Music 6 Special Education (resource) 4 Native Studies (includes Native languages) 2 Special Education (resource) 2 Technological Education (manufacturing) 2 of projected surplus/extreme surplus of teacher applicants authorities that reported this General Subject Grades JK-3 2 General Subject Grades General Subject Grades VII. Participant Feedback Survey participants were asked to provide general feedback regarding teacher supply and demand in Ontario. The common areas of concern among school boards and authorities that responded to the survey include the following: Difficulty in finding qualified occasional teachers; Shortage of Technological Education programs offered at Faculties of Education, and difficulty that individuals have in applying to Technological Education programs; The need for teacher candidates and new teachers to learn more about Special Education, either in their pre-service programs or through Additional Basic Qualification (ABQ) courses; and Difficulty in recruiting teachers in remote areas of the province. 15